Horker
Horkers are sea animals, similar in appearance to a real world walrus, that inhabit northern Tamriel in packs of three to four individuals. They appear as walrus-like creatures with tentacled snouts in The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon, and were redesigned for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with three large horizontal tusks instead. They are usually found on ice floes at the sides of rivers in northern Skyrim. Occasionally one of these creatures can be seen crawling up a slope near the seaside. They will become hostile if approached too closely or provoked. Horkers are very slow and easy to avoid and outmaneuver, making them very easy targets. In water, however, they are much faster and harder to outrun. Their corpses may be looted for Horker meat and Horker tusks. With the installation of the Dragonborn add-on, a unique horker named Lord Tusk appears on Solstheim. Ecology Horkers are usually found near cold water, primarily inhabiting the ice floes and coastal areas of the southern Sea of Ghosts in northern Winterhold, as well as The Pale, Hjaalmarch and the Haafingar regions. They have also been reported in the island of Solstheim and nearby waters, as well as Skyrim's frozen tundra. In the food chain, horkers are usually predated upon by the apex predators of Skyrim, such as snow bears and sabre cats, and will fight them back aggressively. Their primary diet is based on native fish and clams, but some individuals (such as the enormous "Lord Tusk") will deviate from that, even becoming man-eaters. The Skaal hunt horkers for their meat and tusks, and the species ventures from the coasts of Skyrim to Solstheim to mate. Cultural and economical importance Horkers are commonly encountered by fishermen and hunters of northern Skyrim, and have been known to interact with nords in a variety of ways. Stories of horker encounters range from deadly attacks to people claiming to be deliberately saved by them, although there's no verification of such accounts. Taxidermied horker heads are common trophies throughout Skyrim, and can be seen hanging from walls in many locations, usually mounted on plaques, and are believed to add to the nobility of a house or business, as are other remains of fierce beasts. Traditional recipes in nord cuisine that use horker meat include salted horker loaf (a very popular dish in Skyrim) and horker stew (made with horker meat, tomato, garlic and lavender), as well as horker pie (made with horker meat, red wheat, flour, yeast, salt, carrots and potato). The Skall tribe is also known to use their meat as food source, as well as their tusks for various purposes. Economically, horker tusks and meat are known to reach high prices on the market, and hunters often risk their lives to poach them. The Skall tribes of Solstheim both admire and base their diet on horker meat, using their tusks for many ends. Gallery Horker attack.png|Poachers struck dead by a pack of horkers. Horker_Head.png|A horker head trophy in Solitude. Horker_Sketches.png|Concept art for the horkers in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Category:Creatures Category:Fictional Creatures Category:Elder Scrolls Universe Category:Sentient Beings Category:Non-sapient Beings Category:Walruses Category:Amphibious Creatures Category:Piscivores Category:LC Category:Carnivores Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Very High Category:Characters Debuting in 2003 Category:Coast Creatures